January 05, 2009

A vibrant downtown?

Posted by MagdaFor the second time I've barely noticed a storefront closing before a new business opens in the same space. This time it was Necessities on Quebec Street, which as I understand remained as the outlet for IF.. after that store moved to the square, before closing last week or so. The Little Fifth, which was in an impossibly tiny space across the road, is moving into the vacant space. A couple of weeks ago and a few doors down, a knitting store opened in the space of a gift shop that had just closed.

While that's all going on, though, the Daydream Nation space on Macdonell has been vacant for months, and of course retailers are seeming hesitant about the north end of Wyndham, where storefronts may or may not be torn down to make room for the new library.

Comments

There are lots of empty spaces on Macdonell ST but check who the landlord is and you will know why. Also there is one business owner on the Wilson St end of Macdonell who thinks she can dictate to the other business owners what they can & can't sell.
In fact she was responsible for us loosing a great business on that street. Nothing Usless. Thank god the store is just moving to a better spot and not closing.

Flaunt is also gone, plus at least 2 others down by the Lolita. So I read 7 empty stores on the block closest to City Hall. LOL! You couldn't write this stuff. Lives ruined, families split up, houses lost, heart attacks etc. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the morons that brought you the new city hall and just increased your taxes.

I think it is the cities fault , they can't work with businesses as the city apparently nickles and dimes them, that is why the tobacco shop in old Quebec street left.

And the city doesn't want to take accountability or promote the downtown to actually get prospective businesses in, like would it be possible that with the lack of like big franchised stores downtown isn't helping the cities case?

I know some will say that will ruin the downtown, but big stores and small stores alike have coexisted. Unless the city is in the move to tear down some more buildings downtown or something and rebuild. It could be a way of forcing businesses out.

Like look at Kitchener and Waterloo, they are both doing well with a mix of chain stores and small mom and pop shops.

I wanted Walmart in at Old Quebec St. Mall instead of that stupid rink, and also a new Farmer's Market right down the middle. But nobody would listen. These are the same dicks that referred to Starbucks as a "mom-and-pop" boutique.

Ray:
Of course Council is not "listening". If you read yesterday's Tribune you will see that the Mayor has all the answers!! She undersdtands EVERYTHING. She is at odds with Guelph Hydro over the need for an upgrade on transmission lines and peaking plant developmrnt. So Cambridge will get it and get the next round of Industrial/Commercial Devekopment. Guelph has been a real pal to Cambridge ensuring that they get all the job growth along with the higher taxes that they pay.
So Guelph with the direction of the Mayor and the Guelph Civic League will continue to miss out on job growth and end up as nothing more than an expensive bedroom hamlet. the new City motto:-
"We're clean and we're green
We hope its not GANGRENE"
Oh yes - 2013 will be worse than 2012.
Happy New Year, and hug your local tree, but don't spread the ash borers..

Ray:
I just looked at the Mercury and I see that the City will meet with the Diocese in its efforts to "save" the rectory on Catholic Hill. FANTASTIC - another multi-million dollar project for the Taxpayers to shoulder!!
Let me see - How about putting the new Central Library there? Go for it??

It is because the civic league will cry fowl if the mayor and council won't listen to them, and is the reason why we won't see any corporation stores downtown, because they might call the municipal board on them saying it will ruin the downtown.

But they need to realize that the lack of jobs, and job growth in turn is hurting the city. I recently got laid off today, and Guess what?

I am back in Guelph unfortunately. I had better luck in KW finding a job vs here.

The city and Civic League can't technically block a corporate store from locating in downtown. The issue at this point is the core is not particularly appealing to large chains because there is not enough volume, and particularly pedestrian volume.
That will change as more residential projects come on line.
As I said to one downtown merchant yesterday, the core will likely be a good place to be in business five years from now ... the challenge is keeping your head above water until then.

I am 45. I was born in Guelph and have lived here for most of my life. As far back as I can remember, the City has been pushing for a "revitalized" downtown. We have poured millions into the downtown - millions. The only things that thrives downtown are the bars. The current problem is that we now have a significant number of councillors (Farbridge, Findlay, Piper, Burcher, Laidlaw, Bell, Hofland) who are within walking distance to downtown and consider it their backyard (this is a real conflict of interest) and have no problem spending our money for their benefit

Louis,
By 'other side of the train tracks' I'm not sure if you mean the Woods property or former Marsh Tire, but either way both of those will be large residential projects in the next few years.
As well there is new res already built at the Gummer building and the Downtown Secondary Plan envisions a lot more res in the core, including intensification in part of The Ward, highrises on Wellington Street (across from the new billion-dollar waterfront park) and a condo component to the Baker Street library project.

Scott:
OUCH - A BILLION DOLLAR PROJECT??
I hope that you are KIDDING!!
I repeat comments I have made before:
-How much will the City pay for the "park" land?
-Why doesn't the City refuse to change the land use from Industrial/Commercial to Residential Land. Jobs are more important than commuters.
-Will we ever see the City reduce the residential tax burden? Not with this current bunch
-What is the loss in tax revenue - which will have to be made up somehow - most likely by property tax increases.

I never noticed before that four of our six wards include parts of the downtown area. That's messed up and really needs to change, but with a majority of council residing in that area it will never be allowed to.

I also had a quick look at the ward maps for Kitchener, Waterloo, and Hamilton, and all of them have only one or at most two city-center wards.

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Joanne Shuttleworth is the newsroom lead in municipal affairs coverage for the Guelph Mercury. She is a former Guelph YWCA Woman of Distinction honouree and a past winner of an Ontario Newspapers Award for her work as an editor. You can reach her at jshuttleworth@guelphmercury.com

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